I had heard some talk in the courtyard of one of the guests leaving very abruptly, having taken sick, and all his symptoms indicated that his sickness was probably due to the food that he ate while in the Hall of Fire, which, it was said, was a seafood repast graciously supplied by my Lord Anglachelm. So going there, I visited Salabdúr, and acquiring a tonic to brace my innards, ventured into the Hall, and made a casual observation of the folk crowding around the fishy feast. I spotted some oysters, and took them up one by one, and examined them carefully, which is the proper thing to do when preparing them for food. One can tell whether an oyster is spoiled or not by noting their thickness and sheen: a perfect oyster is plump, and of a bluish cast, and smells sweet, but also has a whiff of the sea air; a spoiled oyster is black and brittle of shell, and the meat has a yellowish cast, and smells bad. These were not quite as bad as some I have seen, but they were not entirely fresh, either. I set some aside which were definitely spoiled, and made note of others that were questionable, and quickly ate some that I judged to be good, making certain that Lord Anglachelm took note of my relishment of his generous gift. I did witness several of the household bravely partaking of the more questionable delicacies, evidently not having the experience to adjudge a good oyster from a bad one, and later turning greenish and sick. And I regret to report that even Lord Anglachelm himself was forced to quit the Hall of Fire earlier than he would have liked, because the oysters did not agree with him.
I must speak with my Lord's dealer, and see when he sold them, whether on the morning of the day they were served, and if they were fresh so far as he could tell, and were in such condition at the time of their sale to Lord Anglachelm - else I shall be forced to request my Lordship's money back, in refund, plus a goodly amount for damages for the sickness and soreness which they caused, from want of his care. And if he is a unreasonable, imprudent, naughty fish-monger unskilled in the business of selecting and keeping fresh oysters for the table, who will not abide by my request, I must sadly inform him that all of the House, and all of our friends, and all of our acquaintances, and all of his fellow tradesmen, shall be made aware of his unwholesome stock, the proof of which I still have in a water-soaked sack, and the wretched fish-monger shall find these tainted oysters as deleterious to his business as we found them to our stomachs.
But first I must see to other business of my Lordship, and find a way to send message to Naergon and Nirhen, and tell them to come to his presence forthwith. Of note tonight, Daegond the Hound burst into the Hall, and caused a small disturbance by almost banging the doors off their hinges. Why he did not assist the House with our search for our Lord Anglachelm was not sufficiently explained, at least to my ears. His mood is, at the best of times, quite unusual, so I shall not ask him myself. Upon seeing Lord Anglachelm returned, he made a comment which surprised me exceedingly, and was particularly odd. He seemed sheer disappointed that none of the House had been slain during the Search, and I am convinced that Daegond is labouring under some madness, but the others do not seem to notice or make much of it. I watched him play at dice, thinking all the while how it was that this mad elf was chosen to defend Lord Estarfin for his part in the catastrophe in the Southlands! Meanwhile, the Lords Anglachelm, Tindir and Veryacano were discussing something in the High Speech, which I could not make out, and Sogadan was too far to hear, but Lord Anglachelm commanded Lord Estarfin to remain in the Valley, until his trial. And afterwards, poor Lord Estarfin seemed mighty preoccupied and very quiet. Perhaps he was contemplating the catastrophe he had helped to bring about, and thinking of the suffering of the Men at his hands, and dreading the day of his trial, which is sure to come soon, even if Justice does ride a very slow horse.
